Affiliations: Faculty of Science, Department of Chemistry, Royal
University of Phnom Penh, Phnom Penh, Cambodia | Cambodian Mekong Dolphin Conservation Project, Greater
Mekong Programme, WWF Cambodia, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Abstract: In Cambodia, as in many other countries, PCBs and DDTs were used
widely in many types of electrical equipment and in agriculture before being
banned. They are, however, still being sold and used in Cambodia, and have been
found at high levels in dead Irrawaddy dolphins from the Mekong river. Boeng Cheung Ek is a wetland area south of Phnom Penh that receives
all wastewater from the south central part of the city before it flows into the
Bassac river. A rapid method was performed to measure PCBs and DDTs in
sediments from Boeng Cheung Ek by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography. The
results showed that p,p'- DDT and p,p'-DDE (up to 100 ppb) and possibly some
PCBs, were present in the sediment from sites near where the wastewater entered
the wetland, but were below detection limits at the site just before the water
leaves the wetland and enters the Bassac river. The results show that the
wetland is effectively trapping these toxic compounds and protecting local
river systems but should cause concern for people who eat fish and shellfish
caught in Boeng Cheung Ek.
